How to Print to PDF on Any Computer, Smartphone, or Tablet

All modern computers, smartphones, and tablets can now easily print web pages and other documents to PDF files without any extra software. Microsoft added this to Windows 10, and Apple added it to iOS 9.

PDF is a standard, portable document format that works across all devices. It’s ideal for archiving and sharing web pages and other documents. It’s just more compatible than other types of documents, like Microsoft’s XPS document format. You can use document converter www.sodapdf.com/fr/convertir-pdf/ if it is needed.

Windows 10

Windows 10 finally adds a built-in PDF printer to Windows. In any application — from Windows desktop apps to those new Windows Store apps — just select the “Print” option in the menu. You’ll see “Microsoft Print to PDF” appear in the list of installed printers. Select that printer and click the “Print” button. You’ll then be asked to provide a name and location for your new PDF file.

Windows 7, 8, and 8.1

On previous versions of Windows, this can be a bit more of a headache. It’s not integrated into the operating system, so you may have to install a third-party PDF printer application. Unfortunately, many of these are packed with installer crapware.

Some applications do have integrated PDF-printing support, however. For example, in Chrome you can select the “Print” option and select “Save to PDF” to print to PDF. LibreOffice can also export documents to PDF. Check the application you’re using to see if it can do this without any additional software.

Mac OS X

This is integrated into Mac OS X, too. But, if you’re familiar with the way it works on Windows and other operating systems, you might miss it.

To print to PDF, select the “Print” option in any application. Ignore the list of printers at the top of the print dialog that appears. Instead, click the “PDF” menu at the bottom of the dialog and select “Save as PDF”. Mac OS X will allow you to save the document to a PDF file instead of printing it to an actual printer, and will prompt you for a file name and location.

iPhone and iPad (iOS)

With iOS 9, Apple built this feature into every iPhone and iPad. To print a web page or other document to a PDF file, first open it in an application. Tap the “Share” button — it looks like a square with an up arrow coming out of it. Scroll through the list of icons in the top row and tap the “Save PDF to iBooks” option.